The original *Death Stranding* was divisive, to say the least. While it was a beautiful game with a unique approach to action-adventure, it was a difficult journey to stomach at times. Still, the game was remarkable in its style and established a genre that we still celebrate wholeheartedly here at Shacknews. So, maybe it should come as little surprise that its sequel brought all of the ingredients necessary to become our favorite Strand game of 2025.
*Death Stranding 2: On the Beach* finds Sam Porter Bridges trying to recover and grow from the events of the first game. He still has a phobia of connections with people, and through his daughter, Lou, and his friends at Drawbridge, he tries to overcome it.
Complications lead to Sam being forced to take a healing journey that is not only meant to bring closure but also to expand the chiral network as far as the continent of Australia. Throughout *Death Stranding 2*, players fend off the elements and use everything at their disposal to connect a wide cast of characters through the Outback.
Through those connections, players build roads and ziplines, give hope and bring peace to the locals, and take on a growing network of allies that root for Sam’s success. It’s that last part that really makes *Death Stranding 2* resonate.
The first game was mostly isolated. Sam had little support outside of the player’s own wits and machinations. In *On the Beach*, Sam has a support system of allies that push him—and the player—onward toward finishing his job and finding peace in the process.
Even in the darkest moments, *Death Stranding 2: On the Beach* reminds us that we are never truly alone if we choose not to be—and there’s something beautiful in that. That and more are why it’s our Shacknews Best Strand Game of 2025.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/147207/shacknews-best-strand-game-2025-death-stranding-2-on-the-beach
